Despite growing up enslaved the first ten years of his life in one of Georgetown's brutal rice plantations, in the 1800s, John Mashow achieved fame and respect for building and designing 100 shipping vessels during the heyday of the whaling industry. After years of being enslaved in Georgetown, he left South Carolina determined not to let his past dictate his future. In 1831, he built his first ship near New Bedford, Massachusetts.Over the next 30 years, he received numerous accolades from whaling captains, owners, and crew members, who praised his ships as some of the “best in the waters.”